Christmas with the Newlyweds
by steepedinshadows419
Summary: 4x09 - Canon Divergent - The Christmas Party goes as planned with no arrests and no interruptions, except for a couple surprise visitors. Barry/Iris. Wally/Linda. Oneshot.


**A/N:** A birthday present for **inksmudge** (on tumblr and AO3). It's a much more pleasant ending to 4x09 than we got, and it inserts a sweet little bit of parkwest (for those of you that enjoy thath pairing - I know the birthday girl does!). Personally, I love how it turned out, and I hope you do too. ;)

 ***** Huge amount of thanks to my lovely beta, **sendtherain** , who was able to go through and do edits (on her phone no less) in time for me to post before the darling birthday girl's birthday was actually over. You're the best!

 ***** I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

...

Settled at the kitchen, her ankle pleasantly brushing up against her husband's knee, Iris took in the surroundings. It was a shame Cecile – and Wally – couldn't be here to experience it, but there was so much joy and happiness humming in the air. After the tension of the last couple days, after fretting about how she'd let her levelheadedness as a leader swamp every nerve ending in her body that screamed at her – what if? What if Barry doesn't make it? What if you made the right call but you lost the love of your life all over again and this time he couldn't be brought back? What if?

But the familiar rush that tossed her hair about and sent chills racing down her spine returned to her as if it had never left. And there he was – tired, exhausted, but all Barry. All hers and back in her arms. He was barely letting go, but she needed to just hold onto him for a while, to breathe in his scent, feel the warmth of his body holding her too, and forget all her worries. Because she _almost_ lost him, but she hadn't.

And now they were at a Christmas party with almost everybody they loved. Ralph is questionably pleasant, but she wouldn't let herself be bothered by that. Even Dominic was a welcome addition. She smiled to herself, counting her blessings. Even the mystery of why there had been no counter attack from Devoe could be dismissed tonight. It was Christmas, her first Christmas as a wife – and in this moment, she couldn't be happier.

"What?" she heard Barry say and flicked her eyes in his direction.

"Hmm?"

His sappy, incredibly sexy grin made her feel hot all over, a feeling which miraculously subsided when she remembered there were people no more than a few feet away.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked, nudging her foot a little with his leg.

She bit her bottom lip, smiling.

"Just thinking how lucky we are." She reached her hand across the table. Barry met it halfway and intertwined their fingers. "How happy I am."

He pulled their hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

"Me too. And it's only going to get better."

She had to look away after a while because the pure adoration in his eyes was almost overwhelming. Her gaze fell to his ring finger when he set their hands back on the table, and she felt her heart leap into her throat.

"What?" he asked again, a teasing lilt to his voice as he smiled at her.

"It's nothing. I just…"

He raised his eyebrows, waiting.

"I can't believe we're finally married," she admitted, her eyes shining. "This is our first Christmas together as a married couple and _God_ , that ring looks _really_ good on your finger." She gave a short laugh, aware that she was gushing over such a simple thing.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, lifting her hand and angling it so her rings could be seen. "Your wedding band doesn't look too shabby either."

She rolled her eyes, fighting a smile.

"That's different. I've had this diamond on my finger for months. You've had time to get used to it. Adding a wedding band to it shouldn't come as big of a surprise to you. Your ring on the other hand…is new to me."

Barry laughed. " _Used_ to it?" He shook his head. "Iris, I am never going to get used to the fact that you're my wife."

Iris felt the shivers run up and down her spine as he said that word.

"You say it so nonchalantly." She looked away again, bashful even though she had no need to be. Barry practically quoted romantic soliloquys to her in his sleep. "As if-"

"It's not the reason stars burn bright and time stands still?"

She lifted her gaze to his. "Isn't it, though?"

Barry's eyes softened, and he started to lean in. Iris could already feel the press of his lips and the warmth of his breath before he'd descended far enough to touch her.

The moment their lips brushed, there was a knock on the door. Regretfully they turned to see who it was, and everyone else broke from their conversations out of mild curiosity as well.

"Oh my God, Wally!" Iris immediately sprang to her feet and crossed the room, engulfing her brother in a ginormous hug the second she spotted his face as he walked through the door. Joe barely had a chance to get his hello in before his daughter interrupted.

"Hey, Iris," Wally gushed in return. "I've missed you, too."

"I thought you were in Cambodia," Joe said when Iris finally released her brother.

"I was," he confirmed. "But, I, uh, met someone there."

A devilish glint shone in Joe and Iris' – and to be fair _everyone's_ – eyes as Wally started to babble.

"She…" He cleared his throat. "She-"

"She thought," the pretty woman pushed past him from on the step behind him, "that this boy had better see his family for the holidays, since she hadn't seen them in a while either."

Iris' jaw dropped. Barry's slow stride suddenly sped up a little, just as shocked as the rest of them.

"I don't get it. Who's this?" Ralph asked in the two-second silence.

"Oh, my God, Linda?!" Iris pushed her brother aside, nearly causing him to fall over as their dad caught him in his arms. "What were you… You were in Cambodia?!" She pulled back from the crushing hug. "How did you – _wait_." Suddenly everything clicked. "Are you and my brother—"

"Together?" Linda let the single word hang in the deafening silence as the surrounding guests waited with baited breath. Her eyes shifted over to a bashful yet proud Wally standing in the corner. "In a manner of speaking," she allowed.

Harry slowly walked up between them.

"You do know that he just got out of a very serious relationship…"

"Harry-" Joe warned.

"With my daughter," he continued, tuning the older West out.

The tension was so thick in the room, Iris couldn't decide whether to defend her brother or Linda or even Harry on Jesse's behalf.

"So did I," Linda retorted.

" _What_?" Barry and Iris asked simultaneously.

"With _who_?" Cisco demanded, having re-emerged into the house when he saw Wally and Linda walking up the front steps from the street outside.

"Does it matter?" She raised an eyebrow daringly.

Cisco's eyes squinted but he said nothing.

"You have a vibing girlfriend who just sent you a sex cube, Cisco," Caitlin muttered under her breath.

"I'm aware of that," Cisco said defensively. "I was just asking who-"

Joe closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead before moving out of the cluster of individuals towards the kitchen.

"I need some 'nog," he said, heading straight for the mug that he decided had his name written all over it.

Harry stayed glaring at Linda for a while before she finally matched his pointed stare with one of her own.

"We're taking it slow," she said, genuine in her response, not in her tone. "I'm no more interested in jumping into something that might very well crash and burn than he is, I assure you. And I would be happy to meet your daughter at any time, since Wally has done nothing but talk fondly of her."

Harry relaxed some, glanced over at Wally, then back at Linda.

"I'm happy for you two," he suddenly said and headed in the direction Joe had gone.

Linda looked at Wally for an explanation, but he shrugged helplessly, so she turned to Iris who quickly looped her arm around hers and tugged her across the room.

"Tell me everything about Cambodia," she gushed, looking pointedly over her shoulder at Wally as they walked farther away. "You're next."

Wally pointed to his chest, a degree of fear reverberating there.

"Me? What did I-"

"Come on, man," Barry said, saving him and squeezing his shoulder from the other side. "Sit by the fireplace with us. It's way better than whatever they have in Cambodia."

Wally laughed and nodded. "Okay, yeah, I'll do that."

Barry grinned, more of his pearly whites shining through when the door opened once again to reveal and unexpected by warmly embraced Cecile and Joanie Horton. That entrance really boosted up Joe's mood, and in no time Harry was borderline terrorizing Joanie on what she planned to do with her future, surprising them all when she said simply, "I'm thinking something scientific."

Later she responded to Iris' questing for a more specific position in the scientific field, "Oh my God, I hate science." Iris almost spit out her eggnog. "But that guy would not shut up. What was I supposed to do? Endure lectures about my future all evening. On Christmas?"

Iris stifled her laughter. "No, of course not. Never on Christmas."

Joanie didn't catch the sarcastic undertones, and in a minute she was gone to pour herself the much coveted eggnog on the kitchen table. The complaint of why _her_ grandmother's eggnog hadn't been made was immediately dismissed when she tasted the recipe that apparently had come straight from Ralph's family going back several generations.

"We are going to be drunk," Joe said, staring down into the beverage that likely contained more alcohol than anything else.

Iris laughed to herself and traveled to Barry a while later after catching up with Wally and Linda.

"Hey, Handsome," she cooed, landing as solidly on his lap as he had before.

She felt his hand cup her ass and smiled without saying a word. His next words melted away the amusement buzzing inside her.

"Hello, Wife."

"God, I love hearing you say that." She started to lean in.

"Oh yeah?" he whispered when she was a breath away.

"Yeah." She nodded, silencing him a moment later with a kiss.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Joe cleared his throat loudly.

They parted and looked up to find everyone suddenly staring at them.

"Keep it PG, would you?" Joe said. "I don't want to send you two home too. You're family."

"I came back!" Cisco interjected, but it was ignored.

"We're newlyweds," Barry defended.

Iris wiggled her finger and gushed as her husband held his hand up to showcase his own ring.

"Iris West-Allen, remember, Dad?"

Joe tried to remain strong, but softened a little under the reminder. He managed to point a finger at them accusingly.

"PG," he repeated and walked back into the kitchen.

"I think it's cute," Linda said from her position squished beside Wally in a massive chair. "Flaunt that all you want."

Iris laughed. "Actually, I have an idea."

"Oh?" Barry raised his eyebrows, simultaneously curious and amused.

"Mhmm." Iris managed to get to her feet and lead him across the room away from most of the guests. She stopped right exactly beneath the mistletoe Ralph had thankfully managed to place amidst his many decorations.

"Oh…I see, Mrs. West-Allen. Very clever."

Her eyes glittered. "Thank Ralph."

"Hey, nooo," the taller, annoying man whined, but they paid it no mind.

Iris grabbed onto the collar of her husband's shirt and pulled his down to her, thrilling in the way he cupped her face, sunk his fingers into her hair, and kissed her as if no one was watching.

"PG," she whispered when he tried to stick his tongue into her mouth.

He sighed regretfully, but nodded. "Later."

Her eyes glinted mischievously as she lowered herself from up on her tiptoes and clasped their hands together, rejoining the crowd settling down to open Christmas presents.


End file.
